Ethical Approvals and Informed Consent

IAJLB holds research involving people, animals and genetically modified organisms to high ethical and safety standards. This page sets out exactly what authors need to confirm and include.

Research Involving People

For any study involving human participants or their cells, tissues or data, authors must confirm that:

  • The study followed the ethical principles of the current revision of the Declaration of Helsinki
  • It was approved by an appropriate institutional ethics committee, named in the manuscript together with the approval reference number
  • Informed consent was obtained from every participant, or from a parent, guardian or legal representative, including consent for publication where identifiable details appear
  • Participants' confidentiality and privacy were protected throughout

Clinical trials must be registered in a public registry, with the registration number in the manuscript. Case reports must state that written consent for publication was obtained; please do not send us the signed form.

Research Involving Animals

For animal studies, authors must confirm that:

  • The work followed institutional, national or international animal welfare rules, such as CCSEA requirements in India or the equivalent elsewhere
  • It was approved by an Institutional Animal Ethics Committee (IAEC) or equivalent body, named in the manuscript with the approval reference number
  • Every reasonable step was taken to minimise suffering and use the fewest animals needed for valid results

Biosafety and Genetically Modified Organisms

Work involving recombinant DNA, genetically modified organisms, pathogens or toxins must state the approval of the Institutional Biosafety Committee (IBSC) or equivalent, and the containment level used.

Genetic Resources

Where work used biological material or genetic resources collected from the wild or across borders, authors should state the relevant permits and compliance with the Nagoya Protocol and national biodiversity rules.

Non-Compliance

Manuscripts missing the required ethics, biosafety and consent statements are returned to the authors before peer review. IAJLB may reject or retract an article at any stage if serious ethical or safety concerns come to light, in line with COPE guidance.